Combined opener and closure for paper milk containers



5 1932. SCHMERLER 1,865,543

COMBINED OPENER AND CLOSURE FOR PAPER MILK CONTAINERS Filed May 28, 1951 4 sofimerzer wmggmw attozmq Patented JulyS, 1932- UNITED STATES-- PATENT; orrlcs Josnrn J. scnxnnmm,

comm) 02m am) cLosvnn m rum in oon'rn'mm Application filed Kay 28,

This invention relates to the combined opener'and closure'for paper milk containers disclosed in my U. S. Letters Patent, No. 1,785,599'

opener an closure comprises, as disclosed in said patent, apointed blade for removing the upper portion of a container, a channel member ada ted to close a part of the opening formed by the removal of such portion of the'container, the blade being carried by 7 one end of the channel member to effect the application of said member to the container during the removal of the upperportion of the container, and a pouring spout carried by the other end of the channel member and communicating with the remaining portion of the opening formed by the removal of the upper portion of the container.

The present invention has for one of its 2 objects to improve and simplify the general construction of the opener and closure to the end that its cost of manufacture may be materially reduced, to the end that it maybe more readily used to efi'ect the removal of. the upper portion of a container, and to the ing forming means shall consist of aspreader carried by one end portion of a channel member and adapted, during the application of the opener and closure to the container, 5 to space the side walls of the container near a corner of the latter,'and a former terminally carried by the channel member outwardly of the spreader and adapted to limit the spacing of the side walls of the container, the spreader and former cooperating to anted December 16, 1930. The.

- during 19:1. Serial In. 546,112. I

maintain the spaced walls of the container in pouring opening forming relation.

The invention further com rehends the provision of an opener and'c osure of the character stated wherein the former shall be provided with means adapted to engage the walls of the container to maintain t e opener and closure on the container against accidental displacement therefrom.

The invention further com rehends the provision of an opener and c osure of the character stated wherein the blade shall be provided with an inclined cutting fie to the end that it may more readily cut 0 the upper portion of the container.

The. invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 1s a view in side elevation illustrating the opener and closure applied to a paper milk container, the dotted hn'es indicating that portion of the container removed the application of the opener and closure.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the opener and closure.

Figure 3 isa sectional view taken on a vertical plane extending longitudinally and centrally through opener and closure. I Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the y ertical plane indicated by the line 44 of i re 3.

igure 5 is a sectional view taken on the vertical plane indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

the container and the Figure 6 is a sectional yiew taken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 66 of Figure 3, and

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 77 of Figure 3. Referring in detail to the drawing, 1 designates a paper container for milk, and 2 the opener and closure for'the container. After the milk has been placed therein, the container "*1 is closed by a metallic sealing strip 3 which clamps together the upper end portions of the walls 1; of the container. the container 1 ano its sealing strip are of well-known construction, a further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The ner and closure comprises a chan-.

nel membzr which is made from light sheet metal. The top wall 511 of the channel member 5 has one end thereof arran ed diagonally and sharpened to provide a lade 6, and the side walls 55 of the channel member are extended longitudinally beyond the blade 6 to provide guides? which have their free end .portions curved laterallyv outward. A spreader 8 extends longitudinally from the other end of the top wall 5a, the spreader being of V-forni in cross section, and gradu- .ally increasing in width and depth outwardly from-its inner to its outer end. A ,former 9 which is associated with the channel member 5 and the spreader 8 consists of side walls 9a and end walls 9b. The side walls 9a of the 99 former 9 extend in outwardly divergent relation from the side walls 56 of the channel member 5 and extend downwardly from the side edges of the spreader 8.

The spreader 8 is located within the former as 9, and the outer edge of the spreader is curved and cooperates with the curved end wall 96 of the former to provide an opening 10. The

end wall 96 of the former 9 is of eater width than the side walls 56 of the c annel 00 member!) and it extends downwa dly from a plane coincident with the upper surface of the top wall 5a of the channel member. All parts of the device are formed integrally with each other, and the device may be readily manufac- Sltured from lightsheet metal.

In ractice, one edge of the container 1 is intro uced between the guards 7 until the blade 6 enga es said edge at a point close to the lower e ge of the sealing strip 3 of the container. The device is. then manipulated to carry the blade 6 to and beyond the opposite edge of the container 1 with the result that the sealed upper portion of the container is removed. During the severing of the sealed upper portion of the container 1, the channel member 5 is applied to the container in such manner as to close a ortion of the openin being formed, the gui es 7 directin the wa Is for the container into the channe member during the application of the latter.

During the application of the channel member 5 to the container 1, the spreader 8 moves in between the side walls 4 of the container and spreads such walls into contact with the walls of the former 9, this being possible due to the gradual increase in width and depth of the spreader and the divergent relation of the side walls 9a of the former. The spreading of the walls of the container 1 into the former 9 provides the container at an-upper corner thereof with a pouring opening which registers with the opening 10 of the device, and the contents of the container will discharge readily through this opening when the container is tilted.

its upper edge with a downwardly directed flange 9a which is located within the former and which receives the upper edges of portions of those container walls located within the former. The flan e 90, the spreader 8, and a prong 11 carrier? b the wall 96 of the former 9 and en aging t container 1, hold those portions 0 the container walls located within the former'in close contact with the walls of the former, with the result that such wall portions are maintained in opening formin relation. The distance between the side wa ls 5b of the channel member 5 is less than the combined thickness of the container walls 4 in order to cause the snug application of the device to the container, the device being held against accidental displacement from the container by the prong 11-, by projections 12 struck up from the walls 5b adacent the guide 7 and en aging the walls of the container, and by the ange 90.

From the for oing description, taken in connection with t e accompanying drawing, it should be a parent* that through the medium of the evice the sealed upper end of a paper'milk container may be easily and quickly removed, that the device is applied to the milk container during the removal of its sealed upper end, that after its application the device covers the reater portion of .the opening provided by t e removal of the seale upper end oi the container, and the remaining portion of the open end of the container 1s in'registration with the pouring opening of the device, and that the walls of the remaining portion of the open end of the container are maintained in spaced relation by the spreader and former in order to permit the contents of the container to be easily poured through the opening of the device.

While I have descn ed the principle of the invention, to ether with the structure which I now consi er the referred embodiment thereof, it is to be un erstood that the structure shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is 2- 1. A device of the character set forth, comprising a blade 'ada ted to remove the upper end portion of a c osed container, a closure for a part of the opening formed by the removal of said container ortion, the closure carrying the blade and a apted to be applied to the container during the removal of said portion of the latter, a former carried by the closure and provided with an opening adapted' to register with the remaining portion of said first opening after the application of the closure, and a .spreader carried by the closure and former and adapted during the The wall 9b of the former'9 is provided at application of such parts to spread the walls of said remaining portion of said opening.

2. A-dev'ice of the character set forth, comprising a blade adapted to remove the upper end portion of a closed container, a closure for a part of the opening formed by the removal of said container rtion, the closure carrying the blade and a apted to be applied to the container during the removal of said portion of the latter a former carried bg the closure and provided with an opening a apted to register with the remaining portion of said first opening after the application of the closure, a spreader carried by the closure and former and adapted during the application of such parts to s read the walls of said remaining portion 0 said opening, and elements carried in the closure and former and engaging t e container to hold the device against accidental displacement from the con tainer.

3. A device of the character set forth, comprising a channel member having its top wall at one end of the device inclined from one to the other of its side walls to provide a blade, a former at the other end of the device and gradually increasing inwidth in an outward direction, and a spreader at said last end of the device within the former.

4. A device of the character set forth, comprising a channel member havin its top wall atone end of the device incline from one to the other of itsside walls to rovide a blade, a former at the other end 0 the device and having side walls and a curved end wall, the side walls convergin inwardly and connected to the side wal s of the channel memher, and a spreader located within the former and connected to the side wall of the latter and to thetop wall of the channel member.

5. A device of the character set forth, comprising a channel member havin its top wall at one end of the device incline from one to the other of its side walls to rovide a blade ,a former at the other end 0 the device an having side walls and a curved end wall, the side walls converging inwardly and connected to the side walls of the channel member, and

a spreader located within the former and connected to the side wall of the latter and to the to wall of the channel member, the spreader hem of V-form in cross section and gradually mcreasing in width and depth in the direction of the end wall of the former, and the outer edge of the spreader being curved and cooperating with said end wall to provide a pouring opening.

6. A device of the character set forth, comprising a channel member having its top wall at one end of the device inclined from.

one to the other of its side walls to provide a blade, a former at the other end of the device and having sidewalls and a curved end wall, the side walls converging inwardly and connected to the side walls of the channel member, a spreader located within the former and connected to the side wall of the latter and to the to wall of the channel me m' her, the spreader ing of V-form in cross section and gradually increasing in width and depth in the direction of the end wall of the former, and the outer edge of the spreader beingcurved and cooperating with said end wall to provide a pouring opening, a prong carried by said end wall of the former, and projections extending inwardly from the side walls of the channel member.

7. A device of the character set forth, comprising a blade adapted to remove the upper end portion of a closed container, a closure for a part of the opening formed by the removal of said container portion the closure carrying the blade and adapted to be ap plied to the container during the removal of said portion of the latter, a former car ried by the closure and provided with an opening adapted to register with the remainin portion of said first openin after the a p ication of the closure, a sprea er carried y the closure and former and adapted during the application of such parts to s read the walls of said remaining portion 0 said opening, and a flange carried by the former and adapted to engage over the upper edges of the walls of said remaining portion of said opening.

the closure and former and adapted during X the application of such parts to spread the walls of said remaining portion of said 0 ing, a flange carried b the former and ed ted to enga e over t e upper edges of t e walls of sai remaining portion of said opening, and 'a prong came by on aging said walls below said flange.

n testimony whereof I hereunto afix my signature.

' JOSEPH J. SQHMERLER.

the former and 

